What is Cataloging?

Cataloging is the process by which we create and maintain the database of books, journals, audiovisual materials, etc., that are owned by Florida International University. Materials "owned by FIU" include online resources for which FIU libraries have purchased access. You can search this database by clicking on "Library Catalog" from the Libraries' home page.

Every title in our Libraries--whether physically located here or accessible on the Web through library purchase--is described in a separate record which contains the information that you see as a user plus extensive computer coding. This coding is called the MARC record--MAchine Readable Cataloging. Coding each element in the record allows the user to fine tune a search down to the smallest element such as date, format, publisher, location (in a particular FIU library or on the Web), etc.

The Libraries receive too many new materials for us to key in the data for every title. For this reason we utilize the services of a bibliographic utility to share cataloging records with other libraries.

Our utility is OCLC which has a membership of more than 60,000 libraries in 112 countries and territories. The database contains more than 223 million records. When a usable record can be found in OCLC, the record is edited for accuracy by paraprofessional staff and then loaded into the catalog. When no record exists, paraprofessionals and professional cataloging librarians work together to create one and to place it in our catalog and in OCLC for other libraries to use in the future.

The cataloging staff of FIU's two campuses add about 30,000 volumes a year to the catalog database. This is in addition to the records that we load for our Government Documents depository collection.

The Modesto A. Maidique Campus Cataloging Department has qualified to participate in OCLC's Enhance program. We also participate in the NACO and SACO projects of the Library of Congress.